Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-08-04

gerously sick. When it is fever that
might infect the other prisoners in the
same cage, the prisoners petition the
Governor to send the sick prisoner to
the prison hospital. Sometimes the
petition is granted, and the prisoner is
sent to the prison hospital.
'But the prison hospital is no better
than the ordinary cages. and is fire.
quently worse, for many sick persons
are crowded into small space. Some
dying prisoners groan throughout the
whole night Twas kept in this prison
hospital several weeks. In the same
cage there. was mad old man, who
was arrested by the Japanese author
tiles on suspicion of being an
incendiary, as he was standing with
match in his hand among dirt heaped
up in a narrow lane in Toxic. He used
to cry out all night, disturbing the other
prisoners. In the cage next to mine
there was another prisoner, who was
kept there for three years, and who
died, grooming all night. An insane
prisoner never becomes well in this
hospital, because the keepers tease him
as a means of amusement, and use all
sorts of means to excite him.
Bathing is permitted to prisoners
twice a month; but the bathing is one of
the dirtiest things ever SAW. There is
only one bath place, a square wooden
box, about ten feet square, which is
filed with hot water. Twenty or thirty
prisoners are taken out of their cages
nd 70 hnr cnlx
into this box. Only ten minutes are
allowed to the prisoners to wash and
dress themselves. The water is not
changed. The first company of prison
ers may find water not very dirty, but
after this the water is simply a mixture
of mud and dirt.
1.-The prison is managed by one gov
ernor and three chief keepers, who
have as subordinates about fifty under
keepers and fifty prison servants. The
governor leaves the management of
the prison entirely to the chief keepers.
who superintend the prisons. They
wear a uniform and sword and go
around the prison. Under-keepers
carry out the orders of the chief keep
ers, and wear swords also. But the
prison servants attend to the humber
duties, such as distributing food carry
ing clothing, etc. Night-watching is
done by the under-keepers and prison
servants. The treatment of prisoners
in general is most cruel, and these
keepers are always ready to show their
petty authority. 1 know one young
man who was beaten and kicked be-
cause he said, in speaking to one of
the keepers, You misunderstood me-"
1t is impossible for these keepers to
misunderstood any thing, and thus the
expression was one of contempt for the
officers.
THE japanese authorities do not I'M
derstand the distinction between polit-
ical offenders and common offenders.
Political offenders are kept in the same
cage with thieves and murderers. They
have scarcely any exercise. They are,
at rare intervals, allowed to walk
about in a narrow yard for ten or fif-
teen minutes. From time to time they
are taken from their cages to be exam
ined in secret court. But whenever
they are taken there their hands are
put in irons and tied with a strong
rope, the end of which is held by prison
servants. No exception is made even
in the case of little boy or feeble old
man. The prisoners are subjected to
many brutalities and annOyances. The
authorities place every obstacle in the
way of justice to the prisoners. 1t
takes one or two weeks for letter to
go from a prisoner to friend of pris-
oner living at the distance only of
few minutes walk from the prison. The
letter must be examined by the gov
ernor of the prison, the chief keepers,
the judge of the secret court, the public
prosecutor and others before it is sent
out of the prison. The present Japan
csc Cabinet hope to obtain the conf
dence of the European Powers by in
Producing European dancing, changing
women's dress and in other superficial
ways aping the European civilization.
So long, however, as such disgrace as
the present prison system exists a
Japan no civilized Government ought
to have any confidence in the sincerity
of japanese reforms"
a Happy Blind Man.